The importance of having a good corporate identity

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Context

It seems that having a corporate identity is a business thing for large companies. It is often thought that for small companies, having a logo “is enough.” But in reality, having a style guide is a very useful thing, for any company and can have a great influence on its success.

A corporate identity manual or style guide is a document that takes up the visual aspects of a brand. This document specifies the master lines that help to compose and consolidate the image of the company.

Why is it important to deal with a good CORPORATIVE IDENTITY?

The brand and the company are given value.

If you look after your image, it increases the perceived quality of the company’s products and / or services.

It helps to position the brand on the market.

If the image that the company projects is attractive, it will help your brand to position itself better.

It influences the visual “popularity” of the brand.

It helps to distinguish visually from competition, and to make the brand easily known and remembered by users or consumers.

It saves costs of standardization.

Having a guide and basic rules will save you time, energy and money.

It accelerates and simplifies the introduction of changes or new developments in the company.

The guide helps to introduce the new or changes focused in the same direction and to maintain the consistency of your brand over time.

It facilitates the company’s communication and marketing work.

The company’s internal and external communication is simplified and consistency is guaranteed. Create a web, newsletter, social networks, cards, billboards, brochures, etc., that are in tune is much easier if you are based on a style guide.

All this means that, internally, it improves the confidence of the team and the quality of the work processes, with an impact on the final quality of the products and services.

What basic elements should be used to contain, at the very least, a guide to the problem?

Logotype

It is the most visible and signalling face of your brand. The guide must determine its composition; the minimum sizes to which the logo can be played, both on screen and on printed support; the minimum area to be respected around the logo to ensure its visibility; versions for different uses or contexts.

Typography

It is important to establish one or more typographs that will be used in any communication or marketing material of your brand.

Colors

The logo usually marks the range of corporate colors, although it does not have to stick to the colors of the logo. The guide should specify the color use information for web and for printing with the corresponding codes.

Inadequate uses

The guide should also include the uses that should not be made of the logo, to prevent your brand from showing itself in an incorrect or unwanted way.

Other elements

The guide can also include applications, with specifications and examples (stationery, advertising, social networks, web, app…); web guide (reticle, typographic hierarchy, buttons…); glossary of specific terms… and any element that is necessary for the understanding and correct use of the brand.

A style guide is not a static document, but must adapt and grow as the company and brand evolve. Over time new needs can arise and changes or new elements should also be included in the guide.

At Contrabase we can help you compose your corporate identity. [some examples] (http: / / www.contrabase.com / portfolio /)?